James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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Imaginative Realism

Dinotopia: The World Beneath

"A ravishing, action-packed adventure." —Smithsonian. Now with 32 extra behind-the-scenes pages. Signed by the author/illustrator

Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara

160 pages, fully illustrated in color. Written and illustrated by James Gurney. Signed by the author

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The religious painting “Ecce Homo” of Antonio Ciseri has a startling realism that comes in part from his sensitivity to light interactions.

Ciseri was born in Switzerland in 1821 and studied in at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence under Florence under Niccola Benvenuti.

Note the soft edges in the hand in shadow at (1). Crisp edges should be reserved for elements in full illumination. At (2), look at the warm reflected light on the arm of the figure in this grouping.

At (3), check out the contre-jour handling of Christ’s figure. The top and side planes of Christ’s figure are raised in value so that they almost blend with the sky—a device that James Bama used almost a century later on Bantam paperback covers.

Pilate’s draped figure is rendered with extreme attention to transmitted light through various layers of fabric. This might have been aided by photography (the painting is from 1880, when many artists were using photographs).